2012 NBA Summer League: Day 1 Recap

The 2012 NBA Summer League in Orlando officially began yesterday. In this article, I will share my thoughts, opinions, and observations on aspects of each game.

Game 1: Orlando Magic 92, Brooklyn Nets 88

I watched most of this game. By the time I got up and finished breakfast and turned on NBATV, the game had already started. I was hyped up because Adam Morrison is one of my favorite players. At first, I just watched Adam Morrison. He seemed sluggish and his teammates weren't passing to him. But then at the end of the third quarter, he went into beast mode and scored 6 straight points in a span of about 55 seconds.



The Nets came back from a double-digit lead and tied the game late in the fourth after a 3 by Tyshawn Taylor, but the Magic pulled it out.

For the Magic, Andrew Nicholson led the game with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Kyle O'Quinn, who played with the 15th-seeded Norfolk State team earlier this year, went 8-10 from the field and finished with 16 points.

For the Nets, Morrison finished with 10 points off of 4-7 shooting from the field, had 3 rebounds, and went 2-2 from the free throw line. He utilized himself well. Al Thornton was active and finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds. MarShon Brooks had an awful shooting day and finished the game 0-10 from the field. He also had 4 turnovers, but had 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and shot 3-3 from the free throw line.

Game 2: Boston Celtics 73, Oklahoma City Thunder 65

I only watched some of this game. For the Celtics, Jared Sullinger had a great game off the bench and finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds. He shot 6-12 from the field and went 7-7 from the free throw line. Sean Williams, who I like because I think he's a great energy player, had 6 points and 4 rebounds. Craig Brackins, who's played the first 2 seasons of his career with the 76ers, was given only 2 and a half minutes of playing time and didn't get a good chance to showcase his skills. Dionte Christmas was active and had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He also had a +/- rating of +15, the highest of anybody in the game.

For the Thunder, Reggie Jackson led the team in points and assists (19 points, 2 assists) and shot 7-15 from the field. He also had 3 rebounds, and shot 5-6 from the free throw line. No one else on the Thunder particularly impressed me.

Game 3: Detroit Pistons 76, Utah Jazz 73

I'll be honest. I didn't watch a second of this game. But looking at the stats, I was interested by the performance of Deron Washington, who I'd never heard of. In less than 9 minutes of play, he scored 13 points. He shot 4-5 from the field and was 3-3 from three-poimt range. He did have 5 fouls and 2 turnovers though.

Game 4: Indiana Pacers 69, Philadelphia 76ers 63

I was disapointed by this game because of how Reggie Hamilton never got a chance to show his talent. Out of everyone on the Pacers who saw playing time, Hamilton got the least amount of minutes. In less than 5 minutes of play, he was set up to fail. Though he brought the ball up most of the time, once he passed it in an effort to spread the ball around, he never got it back. His teammates never passed it to him. Orlando Johnson, who had a seemingly good statistical performance with 19 points and 9 rebounds, hogged the ball while Hamilton was on the floor. Hamilton finished with 1 rebound and was 0-1 from the field (he missed a floater), but he had the highest +/- ratio in the game. The Pacers were +9 when Hamilton was on the floor.

For the 76ers, Jacob Pullen led the team with 15 points off the bench in the losing effort. He also had 2 assists and 3 rebounds. I like Pullen's game and was disapointed when he went undrafted in last year's draft.

Have any thoughts on day 1 of the 2012 NBA Summer League? Disapointed that I didn't show Lance Stephenson any love? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

NBA: 2012 Draft Recap

The 2012 NBA Draft took place yesterday and I will recap some interesting parts of it:

Anthony Davis was chosen by the Hornets with the first pick of the draft. This shouldn't have surprised anyone because he had been the consensus number one pick for a while.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was chosen second by the Charlotte Bobcats. I think the Cats made a good choice here. Now that Ben Gordon is also on the team, I think that they have a serious shot at the playoffs next year if they play things right.

The Cavs would have probably chosen Kidd-Gilchrist if he was available at the fourth pick, but instead they chose Dion Waiters from Syracuse. I was surprised by their choice here. If I was their GM, I probably would have chosen Harrison Barnes, Thomas Robinson, or someone else.

The Kings chose Thomas Robinson with the fifth pick. Robinson was the second pick in some mock drafts, but slipped in the actual draft. I think that the Kings made a good choice here, considering that they're not overly strong at the power forward position.

The Blazers chose Damian Liliard with the sixth pick. I think this was a good choice because Liliard is a point guard and Portland has had some recent troubles at that position.

I think that Harrison Barnes was the perfect choice for the Golden State Warriors at pick number seven.

The Hornets chose Austin Rivers with the tenth pick in the draft. I think this was a good move. I imagine that Davis and Rivers will both be starters next season and if Eric Gordon is re-signed, they might even be able to make the playoffs.

The 76ers chose Moe Harkless with the 15th pick. Harkless averaged 15.3 points per game as a freshman at St. Johns and I think that he can be a great player in the NBA, but the Sixers already have Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala, so he might struggle to get minutes.

The Celtics chose Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo with the 21st and 22nd picks. I think those two players are underrated and with help the Celtics with size, rebounding, shot-blocking, and post defense. Sullinger and Melo could just help Boston stay contenders next season.

Miles Plumlee was drafted by the Pacers with the 26th pick in the first round. Indiana is now forced to give guaranteed money for multiple years to a player that averaged 6.6 points and 7.1 rebounds as a senior in college at Duke. Good job, NOT!

Perry Jones III slipped to the 28th pick last night and was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many bloggers are writing about how tragic it is that he was drafted so late. Jones had been red-flagged because of alleged knee problems among other negatives. I think that this was a great pick for the Thunder. Even if Jones turns out to be terrible on the NBA level or his knee messes up his career badly, OKC should still be contenders for years to come. Jones is young and still has a lot of potential. He could blossom into a star and be mentored by Kevin Durant and others on the team.

The Raptors chose Quincy Acy with 37th pick in the second round of the draft. Acy is a hard worker and a good rebounder. He could put up decent number and develop into a solid player if he is signed by the team.

Quincy Miller, a freshman out of Baylor, was drafted in the second round by the Nuggets. Miller is young and needs time to develop, but has a lot of potential.

Tyshawn Taylor was chosen by the new Brooklyn Nets with the 41st pick. Taylor helped lead Kansas to the NCAA Tournament Championship along with Thomas Robinson. He is a point guard and his minutes, assuming he's signed, will depend on whether Deron Williams resigns with the team or not.

Justin Hamilton was picked with the 45th pick and his rights are owned by the Miami Heat. I don't think that Hamilton will end up being good in the NBA. Look at his stats and compare it to his age, height, and minutes. He doesn't seem like a very efficient player and if he ends up actually being signed by the Heat, I expect him to be a non-factor.

Reggie Hamilton went undrafted. I hope he catches on with an NBA team for the Summer League. I could list a bunch of teams that should have chosen Hamilton in the second round, but it would be pointless.

Have any thoughts on how the 2012 NBA Draft turned out? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.